Court Adult & Child Reports
Those who have endured life with a pathological have lived in fear for them selves, their children and pets. They have seen and felt the raw rage from this manipulative individual. They have tried to protect them selves and the ones they love. In the end, they search for a safe way to leave and maintain protection for them selves, children and pets.
In desperation, they turn to the legal system and can be met with other emotional, financial and psychological problems to deal with. It is difficult to find attorneys who understand the issues related to a pathological partner. Litigating with a pathological is not like litigating with any one else.
Partners leaving a pathological may be perceived as the problematic clients by attorneys and also by professional mental health counselors. Many have met with disaster when turning to mental health professionals who are unaware of the devastation of a pathological relationship. Untrained counselors and psychologists randomly try to diagnose this devastation in the partner as a personality disorder or other chronic form of mental illness because the partner is fearful, has intrusive thoughts about their safety, unable to sleep, shut down emotionally or has become very reactive when they encounter the pathological in the legal system. Many of the partners who suffer from these symptoms, are suffering not from a personality disorder or chronic mental illness but from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, an emotional problem generated from the trauma of the relationship. Having been at war with a disturbed pathological they are left with very serious emotional and physical scars from this battle.
How Accommodation Reports Can Help
Partners of pathologicals often don’t realize that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a protected disability under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Partners fear that the diagnosing of them with this disorder will label them as ‘crazy.’ This disorder is not considered a psychotic illness or chronic mental illness. This emotional disorder is associated with traumatic events, such as being in a pathological relationship. PTSD also has physical manifestations and is the reason that partners react so strongly when encountering the pathological. There reactions are related to the changes in cortisol and adrenaline levels which cause physical changes in the brain when symptoms are triggered. This is why partners often cannot think, overreact to situations, and shut down in the presence of the pathological.
It is likely that the pathological is going to label your behavior ‘crazy’ to the court as one of the strategies and tactics to get what they want. In order to prevent the label of ‘crazy’ or a personality disorder, it is much more beneficial for your diagnosis of PTSD to be an explanation not only for behavior but for future needs as well—in court, rehab alimony, or other items you are seeking in your court case. The court either gets concise information from your attorney about PTSD and what it’s done, and why you need certain accommodation help in the court, OR, the pathologicals attorney will rename your behaviors as something less credible and more damaging. PTSD is also, in some ways, a validation that trauma occurred since it is the only way PTSD is acquired.
What The Reports Can Provide
Partners with PTSD may need an accommodations report to request specific accommodations to help you in the court process. Some accommodations you many need:
- To be kept safe from the pathological on the way to the courthouse or leaving the courthouse
- To be allowed extra time to make decisions
- Allowed to take frequent breaks
- Allowed to tape record all proceedings
- Allowed a disability advocate to attend all hearings
- If you must attend a hearing with the pathological you may be blocked from his site
- And to have all misrepresentations clarified and clear
- Sometimes accommodations have included having your testimony by camera or phone so not to have to be exposed to the pathological in court
Child PTSD Accommodations Report
Children who have been exposed to the pathological or their behaviors may also suffer from this disorder. They may require the same or similar accommodations as well to be protected from further abuse. A child with PTSD should be placed infrequently in an environment that will reactivate PTSD symptoms.
For many children the pathological has inflicted much confusion and pain. Children are sometimes forced by the court system to have unsupervised visitation or even worse, are given sole, primary or joint custody with the pathological.
A child with PTSD should never be forced to re-experience reactivation of their symptoms.
Preparing an Accommodations Report
In order for the court to recognize and give specific protective accommodations an accommodation report needs to be written for the court. A professional counselor who is familiar with the PTSD disorder in adults and children will study your specific situation, relationship history, trauma history, and current symptoms to produce a detailed report for the court system. After the report is produced, a general medical physician or a psychiatrist will verify the diagnosis and produce a letter that will accompany the Accommodation Report.
This report consisting of your PTSD symptoms and relational elements that lead to the diagnosis and the letter from the M.D., is then submitted to the ADA coordinator at the courthouse who insures that the accommodations are adhered to in your case.
Removing Road Blocks to Effective Court Proceedings
If you are struggling with a legal system that is not recognizing the effects of trauma on you or your children, these accommodations may assist you with reducing your family’s stress within the legal system and providing you with the protection that allows you to be a compelling and composed participant in your own proceedings.
Each case and usage of accommodation reports needs to be evaluated by both the survivor seeking the report and her legal counsel. Your attorney can advise you if the accommodations report would be in the best interest of your and or your child’s case. If the attorney feels it would benefit your situation, The Institute is happy to provide these services.
Rebecca Potter. LMHC
Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Helping Children of Pathologicals Cope
I first began my counseling work in a treatment setting that few counselors dare to touch: abused children. Today, I now also work with children who have a pathological parent. If you are reading this, maybe your child is forced to endure visits with a pathological.
Children of a pathological parent often have acting out behaviors that need remediation in order to be successful at school, in the family, and most importantly, in order to heal. Although the children seem fine to others, the families who love them and live with them, see a chaotic nightmare of intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares, trouble sleeping, sexual acting out and intense anger. Is this your child’s behavior?
I am a Behavioral Analyst that develops personalized behavior plans for abused, special needs and children exposed to pathological persons. Behavioral approaches with children have lengthy documented success in reducing problematic and traumatic behavior. When traditional approaches take too long or are ineffective, behavioral approaches can quickly reduce severe behaviors and stabilize families.
David is a good example of a child I worked with. David was a small two year old. He had been abandoned by his mother and father. Both parents were abusive to each other in his presence and the parents had developed drug dependencies that David had witnessed.
The father became incarcerated and the mother was in and out of his life. The core family was in chaos and crisis. Luckily, he was eventually adopted by his loving grandparents but David was angry and defiant. He would punch holes in his bedroom wall, try to run away and the worst issue was that he picked at his nose repeatedly.
He had been given various psychiatric medications by his physician to reduce his acting out and self injuring behaviors. Despite the medication, this adorable child had trouble with eye contact, connecting with others, and sharing. When you saw his face the first thing you noticed were two raw red wounds on each side of his nose.
While David could not tell you about the violence and fights that he witnessed or the many crack houses he inhabited what was noticeable was his severe reactions and behaviors that indicated he had been exposed to significant trauma.
How Behavioral Interventions Help
I helped his grandparents develop a simple behavior plan to reward his good behaviors and his cooperation. Although he was resistant to the changes and initially challenged his grandparents, his anger began to reduce as did his physical violence. Best of all, his wounds on his nose began to heal! The family turned a corner and began to have pleasurable times with this previously traumatized child.
Why children act out is that they have heard the word ‘no’ so often that they begin to internalize that they are bad not just their behaviors. Sometimes being told they are loved still does not help them feel accomplished and empowered. It’s through behavioral systems that children become empowered and traumatized children heal.
Behavior techniques are essential to reduce the acting out behaviors which is why The Institute offers this assistance to parents needing help with children exposed to pathologicals. Learning to reward the acceptable behaviors through effective techniques provides both appropriate consequences and appropriate rewards. Abused children begin to feel positive feelings and increased self-esteem.
If you need help developing a behavioral program for your child, here’s how to start your child on their own Path to Recovery….
Yes, I Want a Behavioral Plan for My Child or Teen
Rebecca Potter, LMHC
Licensed Mental Health Counselor
The Institute’s Child Behavioral Analyst
Rebecca Potter, M.S., LMHC is a licensed mental health counselor with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Education, and a Master’s Degree in Psychology. She completed internships at a community mental health center, domestic violence treatment center, juvenile detention center, and an agency treating abused children. Rebecca is trained in Critical Incident Stress Debriefing and has worked with over 100 different companies lecturing on health topics and assisting employees who have been traumatized. Currently she is a trained Behavior Analyst who works with abused children reducing acting out behaviors and in private practice treating adults, children, and families. She is a trained EMDR provider and treats all mental health issues as well as survivors of pathological relationships. She has personally struggled with all the complex legal and emotional issues that are involved in divorcing a successful and charming pathological pilot.
Rebecca is a provider for United Health Care and Cigna Behavioral Health insurances.
Yes — I Want A PTSD Court Accommodation Report For My Case
Yes — I want a Private Phone/In Person Counseling Session With Rebecca
